I still only own the plot, JKR still owns the characters as she should.
Chapter 46: A Wake for Bachelorhood
************************12 Grimmauld Place******************************
June 14, 2006
8:00 am
BANG. BANG. A thunderous knock sounded on the door of the old top bedroom of Grimmauld Place. With a low groan and more than a few murmured expletives and possibly a curse or two, Sirius Black blearily peered out from under a pile of blankets. He had returned from his exile to find the old house transformed. All of the bedrooms had been redone, the dining room polished, the training rooms and the potions labs in the basement restocked, the kitchen full of food. He had jumped and gone for a wand when he found Dobby instead of Kreacher, but he thoroughly approved of the change.
Dobby had just smiled as he happily informed him of the work, and that he had taken the liberty of making slight changes to the layout of the house. The second floor landing had been magically rearranged a bit to combine Harry's, Sirius' old room, and Hermione's into one. Dobby had apologized profusely for the fact that Sirius couldn't have his old bedroom, but he extensively explained that he had redone Buckbeak's old room instead for him. Sirius was perfectly fine with that change, though he did grumble a tad bit at realizing that he was the only single person living in Grimmauld at the moment, or in the near future.
Harry and Hermione were still planning on living here, as were Ron and Luna, and possibly Neville and Ginny, though that still might need to be discussed with Molly, and very possibly behind strong defensive wards. With the addition of Tonks and Lupin in one of the basement bedrooms, the old house, once a home of darkness, was now more resembling Gryffindor Tower. Albeit several hundred miles to the south, of course. Slowly waking, Sirius glanced around the room, noticing again the clean glass, the small photos of the original Marauders and Harry and Hermione that Dobby had placed on his night table; picking up his wand just in case, "WHO IS IT?"
"Me" Lupin said from the door as he opened it. The werewolf padded in quietly followed quickly by the Weasley twins, and Tonks. Lupin smiled as he dropped into an armchair across from the bed as Sirius sat up.
"Moony, I bloody well was at the Ministry until two, I am going to go back to sleep, and then I am going to get up and go see Harry and Hermione." Sirius growled. He started to lie back down, but stopped and glared at the twins, "and why are Gred and Forge here anyway? Tonks at least sleeps with you." Sirius batted away the cushion that Tonks threw at his head.
"Well Sirius..." Fred said brightly.
"We were down at Diagon alley, looking at the ruins of our shop." George continued.
"And we were sad," Fred continued.
"And then we got an owl..." George put in. And as if that were a sign, a snowy white owl started pecking at the window. With a wave of Tonks' wand, the window opened and Hedwig fluttered in, landed on Sirius' bedside and extended her leg. With a small smile, Sirius took off a pair of parchments, an oddly formal pair, from Hedwig's leg. Seeing that one had had Lupin and Tonks' names on it he tossed it over to them and breaking a red wax seal, one inscribed with the Gryffindor crest, he noticed idly, he began to read.
Sirius Black,
You and a guest are invited to the dual weddings of Harry James Potter and Hermione Jane Granger and Ronald Bilius Weasley and Luna Melanie Lovegood. Festivities are to begin at 6:00 pm at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the seventeenth of June.
Signed:
Harry James Potter
Hermione Jane Granger
Ronald Bilius Weasley
Luna Melanie Lovegood
P.S. Padfoot, You bloody well better show up, as otherwise I don't know who will hand me the ring if you don't.
Harry
Sirius' deep gray eyes glowed as he looked up and met his old friends. He laughed, almost shaking in his sudden mirth, "Boy doesn't waste time does he Remus?"
"He's had good teachers my friend." Remus replied, as Tonks took the invitation and ran out of the room, giggling happily and muttering something about finding a dress. Remus cursed under his breath.
"That he has; looks like he'll even beat his father..." Sirius turned back to the twins, "Why were you here again?"
"Well as we said, we were sad, looking at our destroyed flagship shop." Fred shrugged.
"We actually went there to lay some flowers for Katie." George admitted glumly. Sirius nodded slowly, as in the days since his return, he had been filled in on the events of the last two years. "But then Hedwig appeared with the news. And we were happy for a bit."
"And we realized something" Fred said, his tone and expression suddenly bright.
"That little Ronnikins and Harry need, a...tasteful memorial for the passing of their sacred bachelorhood, a wake if you will." Sirius sat up at George's words, and he and Lupin shared a meaningful look.
Remus smiled, the tips of his fangs showing a bit, "when were you planning on doing this?"
"Tonight, of course...we aren't heartless;" Fred said, "We want both of them perfectly sober for their funer...er...weddings."
With a great laugh, Sirius leapt from his bed, and threw an arm around each twin. "Did Remus ever tell you two about James' bachelor party?"
***************************Gryffindor Common Room***********************
8:00 pm
Hermione, Tonks, Luna and Ginny stood in the common room watching a slightly bemused Harry and a definitely apprehensive Ron being led out of the portrait hole by the twins and Sirius. Seamus, Dean, Neville, Bill, Charlie and Remus were trailing behind; Remus at least was shaking his head, almost mournfully.
Finally the portrait closed, leaving the girls still in the tower. With a headshake of her own, Hermione walked over to the couch, where Lavender, Pavarti, and Padma waited. "Here, sis" Ginny laughed as she handed Hermione a drink. The witch looked at her, but shrugged and took the shot anyway.
With a wave of a wand, Ginny cranked the music on the enchanted CD player in the corner, and the sound of the Rolling Stones echoed off the ancient walls of Hogwarts. Appropriate, since Keith Richards was a wizard after all, it was the only thing that had kept him alive all these years. Tonks started dancing, she had already started a bit early, and a pair of kneazles ran for the hills. Crookshanks and Spooky were both wisely fearful for the safety of their tails under the feet of the walking disaster known as Nymphadora.
"I CAN'T GET NOOOO... SATISFACTIONNN."
"Come on Herm." Ginny cried from near the fire, ducking absently as a clumsy swipe of Tonks' hand passed over her head. Hermione grimaced as she sipped the drink.
"Damn that's nasty," Hermione, snapped, finishing the shot glass, "what is this?"
"Tequila," Tonks replied, grinning mischievously; "I picked it up from some chaps I know in the American CIA. Oh the limes..." with a flick of her wand, a plate of cut limes and a salt shaker appeared. "Its not so bad if you do it right." With another flick, Tonks summoned the tumbler to her. "There is a technique," she smirked, looking over at the curly haired witch. "What did that Mulder bloke say...oh yeah, lick it, slam it and eat the worm."
"Worm?" Hermione snapped...her eyes wide.
"Yeah...this particular stuff is wizard made, so its has a flobberworm in the bottom of the bottle for favor..."
"You have got to be joking."
"Ohh come on Hermione..." Pavarti laughed, "you're a witch, you have drunk potions for seven years. And all sorts of them have worms and worse." To prove her point, the raven tressed girl picked up a pair of shots, handed one to her sister and in a perfectly choreographed move the twins clinked their glasses, licked the salt, slammed the shot and sucked on a pair of limes. Each with identical shudders as the liquid hit their throats.
With a long, suffering sigh, Hermione took another drink, and followed the twins' example, right down to the shudder. "Ok, what's next?" Hermione laughed as she looked at the expressions on her friend's faces..."what no stripper?"
********************The Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade**********************
9:30 pm
"Oi Harry, RON" Fred yelled across the crowded bar. Rosmerta had seen them coming and somewhat ambivalently let them in. She did however greet Sirius with a crushing hug after the news of his innocence and return had been plastered across the front page of the Daily Prophet. Along with at least twenty of other pages dedicated to Harry, Hermione, Ron and the others, and a long, too long, memorial section for those who had died.
"WHAT!" Both wizards snapped across the bar. In the hour and a half since they had been pulled from Gryffindor tower, both of them had probably imbued as much alcohol as they ever had before in one night. Harry's hair was even messier than usual and his glasses were crooked on his face. Ron on the other hand was slowly becoming a touch red about the face and if the twins had anything to do with it he would be even more so very soon.
Harry and Ron were each nursing some concoction that the twins had given them. Some faintly glowing green liquid that Remus half thought that, as he looked over at the pair, that is if he were a little more sober, his oath of duty as an Auror would probably make him confiscate. Good thing I'm just now sworn in, I can pretend I don't know what absinth can do to wizards. Both he and Sirius were sitting in a corner, talking or at least trying to over the noise in the bar. "So Padfoot." Lupin half-shouted over the din, "what do you think?" Lupin waved his firewhiskey in the general direction of the bar where Harry was standing, talking to Hagrid with a stupid look on his face. Behind Harry, they could see the twins wheeling out a giant, green top hat.
Sirius gave a small grin, his gray eyes twinkled; "I think that top hat is a little much." He frowned suddenly, "you know the bloody thing reminds me of that damn thing Fudge used to wear on inspections at Azkaban." Sirius spat the name, a cloud passing in his eyes for a moment before dismissing it with a quick shake of his head. "That's the past now though Moony," his smirk was almost ear to ear now, "just think my friend, some day soon, we'll have whole new generations of Marauders to teach to annoy and perplex the Hogwarts staff."
Lupin nodded and raised his glass, Sirius did the same as they both looked over at Harry, "To the Marauders, past, present and future...good luck Harry...you're going to need it." Sirius grinned as he clinked glasses with his oldest friend.
"May I have your attention?" Fred suddenly hollered from near the large, green top hat.
"In honor of our little Ronnikins and Harry's pending nuptials, we thought that they could stand with a bit of relaxation before that final plunge...so without further ado...Miss Harmony Gold." With a flick of George's wand, an odd pounding beat suddenly echoed through the pub, and in an explosion of light and sound the top of the hat erupted. Slowly, sensuously, a figure emerged from the smoke. As she came closer, Harry gulped a bit, looking her over.
A girl with cinnamon brown curls, brown eyes and wearing a Hogwarts school uniform at least two sizes too small, smiled at him. With a brief flick of her wrist behind her back and a wink, she stood, suddenly devoid of her uniform shirt, with only a lacy black bra, cut low and tight, north of her hips. She smiled rakishly as she sauntered over to Harry and ran a finger down his cheek. Harry gave her a tight smile as she flicked her hip at him, and turned to Ron. Behind her, Harry Potter, the savior of the world for like the third or fourth time now, flushed red and slammed his drink.
Next to Harry, the girl had started dancing close to or rather on Ron, and in the time Harry had been distracted, she had lost her skirt and was now in a black thong to match the bra.
Back at their table in the corner the elder Marauders sighed, and rolled their eyes. "Better save him Sirius, you are his godfather." Lupin laughed as they took in Harry's gobsmacked expression. With a nod, Sirius went and grabbed Harry, and pulled him back through the crowd. Looking over, the girl shrugged before continuing to dance with Ron.
Harry looked over at the pair, took a shot from the table and drunk it quickly. "Thanks Sirius," Harry glanced around a touch embarrassed, "I don't know what happened there, I ah...was freaking out... she ahh..."
Sirius and Lupin shared a look, "sorry Harry that would be our fault, we ahh told the twins about your dad's bachelor party, and how we got a girl that looked like Lily." Harry looked suddenly green at that revelation, and with a quick meaningful glance Lupin shut up Sirius. Harry gave him a look of gratitude and now that he was back a bit, he found he could enjoy the show, especially if he replaced the face. The three of them watched as the girl jumped up on the bar, and started dancing with a pole that had appeared from somewhere.
****************************Gryffindor Tower*****************************
12:05 am
"Do you whissh that we'd gotten a strip..ppper," Ginny managed as she looked over at Hermione from across the table. She giggled, "we th..thought about i..it, but we couldn't f..f..find anyone who looked like Harry...damn it." She giggled again, "oh wait...I'm a witch...P.ppollypuce." And with that belated, drunken realization Ginny Weasley slid to the floor.
Hermione grinned as she regarded her adoptive sister. With a salute to the fallen Weasley, she raised her shot glass, and slammed the drink. It took a couple of tries to find her mouth with the lime slice but she succeeded in the end.
"Well Hermione, Luna." Pavarti glanced over at the other girls, she and her sister shared a knowing grin, "just between us girls...how are they in the sack...Harry and Ron, that is."
Hermione looked at them, "bloody amazing" she blurted out unthinkingly. Her face grew red an instant after she realized what she had said and she quickly took another drink to cover it. Next to her Luna was staring at a wall in the general direction of Hogsmeade. Hermione elbowed her, "Luna, sex, Ron, how...and I'm closing my ears..."
"Oh." Luna replied, her eyes were a touch glassy, "Ron and I had great sex just before supper. Hermione, you should definitely pack the black set for the honeymoon." The Patils raised one eyebrow each at that response while Hermione nodded knowingly.
After another half hour of similar questions, only Hermione, and Tonks were in a fit state to crawl and Hermione barely so. She looked up at Tonks and grinned, sloppily. It took two passes to push the hair the hair out of her eyes. Hermione glanced around and noticed suddenly that most of those who had started with them tonight were either out of it, like Ginny who had started a while before her and Luna or were having intense conversions amongst themselves of the type that only made sense while inebriated. Such as the one going on between Luna and the Patil twins, though at any other time the raven-haired doppelgangers would have thought her insane. Right now they both looked enraptured with Luna's loud explanation of the red-membered Crenskle cat.
With a nod to someone unheard, Hermione stood shakily and started walking towards the portrait hole. "Wotcher Hermione," Tonks shouted after her as Hermione had almost reached the portrait. Sir Caldongon was once again filling for the Fat Lady as she was still traumatized over the events of the night of the attack. She turned back to the blue-haired witch. "Where are you going?" Hermione shrugged, and after a couple of failed attempts left via the portrait hole.
"Oh bloody hell." Tonks muttered under her breath. With a slightly shaking hand, Tonks pulled out a small vial of a bright orange liquid. Uncapping it, she swallowed it in one shuddering gulp. Instantly her vision cleared, her coordination, what there was of it anyway, returned to normal and she was once again, stone sober. "Merlin that stuff tastes like shit, but it works." She whispered to herself again and without a further word to anyone in the room, Tonks followed Hermione out of the portrait hole and out of the common room. Behind her, Luna was just getting into a serious discussion of the possibilities of Snortcat farming.
In the seventh floor corridor, Tonks heard a set of rapidly retreating, albeit stumbling footsteps, and with a practiced move, she snapped open a tightly folded invisibility cloak and whirled it over her head.
************************The Hogs Head, Hogsmeade************************
1:05 am
Unlike the girls' party, the boys had gotten Harry and Ron a stripper. The witch, who seemed to bear a striking resemblance to the current Head Girl of Hogwarts even down to the uniform, albeit at least two sizes too small, had appeared from inside a gigantic top hat, as Fred thought that was more appropriate for a wizard than a cake. It had been a long time since Harry had been embarrassed, but the twins had succeeded to taking him back to that state. Between that, and the somewhat nefarious rule that had Harry and Ron with a drink in their hands at all times, alcoholic of course, the boys were about a bedsheet factory to the wind.
The party had started out at the Three Broomsticks, but after Rosmerta kicked them out for being too loud, and for the twins' stripper dancing on the main bar, the party had ended up at the Hogs Head. And that was the pretty much the high point. "WHAT YA THINKING OF MATE?" Fred yelled from about two inches away. Harry just shrugged, and took a shot of his firewhiskey, his thoughts wandering back to the last time he was in this pub. In his mind's eye he looked over the room and saw the shadows of that long ago meeting of the DA. He could see Hermione bossily sitting over her parchment, the twins almost where they were now, threatening the ghost of Zacharis Smith, who had died only about two hundred yards from here. Likewise the shadow of Ernie McMillan sat next to him, also dead in the fighting at Hogsmeade. Glancing over at the twins, Harry could see Charlie sitting next them. When they had finally found him, he had been badly hurt, and still walked with a limp, a week later. Sirius laughed heartily as he waved around his glass, motioning for a refill, his eyes betraying his most recent ordeal.
Suddenly a tough-looking wizard, muscles bulging under his robes and between his ears, walked over and without a word of warning, shoved Harry off his chair to the floor. "Damn little git, think you're tough shyte 'cause you knocked off You-Know-Who." Harry ignored the drunk; standing a bit shakily he picked up his stool and sat back down. Only to get knocked once more to the floor. The bar grew suddenly silent, as Harry stood once again, and sat once more.
With a roar of anger, the wizard screamed in Harry's ear, "I'll show you tough shit." With the swing of a ham-sized fist, Harry was knocked sprawling. Instantly all the Gryffindors that had been watching erupted up, pouring over the recalcitrant wizard like lava from a volcano. Five more toughs jumped in the fight, and sudden, shrieking whistles marked the approach of MLE officers. In the midst of the fight, Harry stood up, and after noticing that the remaining Gryffindors were more than holding their own, he staggered to the bar. Stopping only briefly to deliver a tottering kick to the chin of the first village tough, who dropped like a sack of stones at the impact. Silently, Harry tossed a galleon onto the bar, and taking a bottle of Ogden's with him, he staggered out into the night, sipping from the bottle as he went.
Showing his new Auror credentials to the responding officers, and stating emphatically that the Gryffindors were not at fault, Lupin padded into the night. As the only reasonably sober one, he felt he should look after Harry. While Lupin crept from shadow to shadow, Harry shambled down the center of the deserted street, finally coming to a stop on a park bench near the end of town. With a small sigh, Lupin started to settle in, but as a familiar scent carried on the winds to his nose, he suddenly knew he would soon be relieved of that duty.
Harry did not look up as a cloaked figure, sat down next to him; he just lay down on the bench, his head in her lap. "Her...me..me..ne...I'm drunk." He whispered, loudly.
"Yes love." Hermione replied, her words a touch slurred as well. "Me too, but not as bad as you." Absently she ran her fingers through his hair, "why are we 'unk again?" Harry wiggled closer to her, like a giant cat in his master's lap.
"Gred and Forge, its their f.f..fault, let's blow em up." Hermione smiled slightly and nodded. Harry looked up at her, then as such things often do, past thoughts came back; regrets, doubts, fears, "Herr..rrr..me...are you diss...diis...mad at me?" Harry asked with the seriousness of the truly sotted.
"No Harry, why would I be?"
"Cause, I'm a kill...bad person." Harry replied quickly, his eyes not looking at hers.
Across the park in the shadows, a second, large black dog padded silently up to Lupin and SHIFTED. Sirius gazed over that the pair, smiling indulgently. "How are they Moony?" he whispered.
Lupin did not turn; he just shrugged and replied in a low mutter, "they're drunk enough to remember and not drunk enough to forget. They'll be fine, though." Sirius nodded slowly and the pair of them eased to the ground, sitting at the base of the wall as they looked over at their charges by choice.
"Not any more than me Harry." Hermione replied softly, as she gazed up at the June stars.
"Its, my f..f..fault though." Harry managed and tried to take another drink from his bottle. Hermione gently pulled the bottle from his hands and set it on the ground next to them. Harry did not argue her action, but looked up at her with eyes that were wet with tears. "W..why, did they follow me, I cost them so much...I cost you and Ron so damn much." A sudden choked sob, and Hermione felt tears dampen her lap.
Feeling a tear fall on his face from above, Harry sat up and wrapped his arms around her, "because it was the right thing to do Harry." Hermione replied softly, "because we knew you would do the same for us."
"Its not over, M..Mione, it may never b...be." Hermione ran her hand though his inky hair as he didn't want to meet her eyes, "What if next time, its Ron, or Ginny or you...are you sure that you still want to marry me? Are you ready to have to be on your guard all the time? That..." Harry's tearful question was quickly interrupted.
"Harry...shut up." Hermione replied in a small, tiny whisper, as she grabbed his head in both hands, and tenderly tilted his head so she could softly kiss his forehead next to the scar that symbolized so much over the last seven years, both of terror and hope. "I don't know what is coming, you know what I think of Divination." They both chuckled at that, it was even funnier right now than normal for some reason, "but if we have to charge the very gates of Hell together, we will. You are stuck with me forever, and ever and ever, and ever..." Hermione broke off giggling.
"Good" Harry muttered softly as his eyes slid shut. His breathing slowed and Hermione suddenly had a sleeping drunk on her lap.
Over in the shadows a soft tread crunched the grass, Tonks' head appeared as she crouched down next to the pair, "hey Wolfie" she grinned as she sat next to Lupin and leaned against his shoulder.
"You let her call you Wolfie!" Sirius hissed, over on the bench Hermione looked around, but not seeing anyone and with her senses dulled she didn't see the trio watching them. Tonks walloped his arm and Sirius flashed her a roguish smile. "He never let me call him that."
Lupin glanced at him, then back at Harry and Hermione. Hermione had just slumped over, and was half eased down on the bench, Harry's arms around her waist. "That's because she has...certain charms that you lack Padfoot," he said dryly.
Seeing that their charges were asleep, the trio stood. "Oh I know a spell that could fix that." Sirius shot back. He frowned, "let's get them home...I know from experience how uncomfortable that bench is."
Tonks rolled her eyes and led the three over to the sleeping pair, "Wingardium Leviosa" With a small whish and flick, the sleepers floated in the air, "Come on, it's a long walk back to the castle." She looked over at Hermione indulgently "I know, little sis there, meandered all over the grounds on the way here."
**********************Harry and Hermione's Room, Hogwarts*****************
12:10 pm
A sudden rush of emerald fire erupted in the hearth and Sirius, Lupin, Tonks and the twins tumbled out. Harry glanced up at them, and wordlessly waved them to the couches and chairs lining the room. Harry had a Chudley Cannons hat pulled low over his eyes, to cover them from the sun. Next to him on the couch facing the fire, Hermione grunted and curled her legs under her as she leaned on Harry's shoulder.
Sirius turned and looked at Lupin, an eyebrow communicated everything he needed to know. He chuckled and reached under his robes to pull a pair of vials from his robes, "here." Harry caught the pair without thinking, looking down he noticed something that had been missing from their bathroom this morning.
"Thanks Padfoot," Hermione muttered as she downed the vial. Instantly her vision cleared and the pounding headache she had had ever since she and Harry had mysteriously woke up here in their rooms at Hogwarts vanished. She stood and stretched, walking over to the window to peer out on the grounds of the school. Looking down, she saw construction wizards and a legion of house elves working around the remains of Ravenclaw Tower. Harry?
Yeah, Mione; Harry replied, his thoughts noticeably clearer than a moment before, as he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose with a couple of fingers.
Didn't we have plenty of Weasley's Amazing Sober-Up and Hangover Cure?
She felt Harry's sudden realization, Yeah we did, both in our potion stocks and I thought we had some in the bathroom...His eyes flicked over the newcomers, working out the possibilities, the twins...or the marauders?
I'd bet the twins...Looking over at him, away from the window, she nodded and watched for a flicker of guilt, or better yet, someone to meet her eyes. Fred did for an instant...Yep, the twins.
That's not nice, love...Harry shot back, as he glanced up at George, but yeah, you're right the guilt is out there for anyone to see. Hermione smiled darkly as she meandered back to his side, and leaned against the back of the couch at his shoulder. Harry watched Lupin, Sirius and Tonks exchange glances and very subtly scoot away from Hermione.
Hermione looked down at Harry, he smiled up at her, and she grinned at him, her face hidden from the others by her hair. Watch this... "Fred, George..." Her eyes came up to them, glinting dangerously in the daylight. She stood and paced slowly to the twins, "Just how did you get into our rooms?" Her eyes flicked to the back wall, where she pointedly stared at the repaired, hidden door, before glaring once more at the pranksters.
"Who us?" Asked George.
"Whaaat?" Inquired Fred.
"You bloody well know." Harry replied as he stretched his legs out onto the coffee table. Crookshanks jumped up on his legs and settled down happily.
"Shush, Harry" Hermione snapped, he raised his hands in mock surrender as she glanced back and winked at him. Her eyes grew hard again as she regarded the twins.
"This could be good" Sirius breathed to Lupin, he carefully didn't show his amusement.
"Fred...George," Hermione started, then with a sudden thought, "and Sirius and Remus as well. I am getting married in," she looked down at her watch and grimaced, "about fifty four hours. Now while I don't really care if I get married in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, none of you, will do anything to ruin it...I mean if there is so much as a kneazle sneezing out of turn..." An evil grin settled on her lips, and Harry emulated Dumbledore as he hid his smile behind his hands, "You will bloody well know why the Daily Prophet is calling me the Girl-Who-Lived." She paced back to Harry and dropped next to him on the couch, "Promise me..."
Fred looked at George; they gulped in unison, and nodded. Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Yes Bookworm, and Leo, we promise, Marauder's honor."
Hermione looked into their eyes for a long moment and finally nodded, satisfied. With a small breath, she looked over to the oldest Marauders. Sirius looked at her and laughed, only to break off quickly as her eyes took on an odd light, he smiled and rose to his feet. Sirius swept an elaborate bow and fell to a knee. "Messers Padfoot and Moony pledge to guard the proceedings with our lives and our very honor."
"Yeah what he said." Remus mumbled.
Sirius nodded and walked over to the fire, "actually we came to see if you would like to join us for lunch, the twins showed up at Grimmauld right as we were leaving. Join us? We were going to stop by Xander's in Diagon Alley, they seem to be under new management; their old, uh owner was one of the ones we piled up by the pumpkin patch. The manager was ok though, he was working for the Ministry, so the MLE arraigned for him to get the deed to the place as a reward."
"Ok" Harry replied for the both of them after asking her with a glance. "Give us a second to change. Oh and Fred, go get Ron, he's always up for lunch."
************************Diagon Alley********************************
1:00pm
CRACK, nine wizards and witches appeared in Diagon Alley. Immediately the damage from the battle a week prior was apparent. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna had not been further from the castle than Malfoy Manor since the battle at Hogwarts and had only heard stories about the destruction from others. That oversight was now more than taken care of. A haze of smoke remained over the wizarding street, and more than a few of the structures still smoldered. Hermione grabbed his hand as they walked down the street, more out of a sense of shock then anything else.
Flourish and Blots, Quality Quiddich Supplies, Madame Malkin's...they were all shattered and smashed. The wards surrounding the alley had been reestablished days ago to prevent Muggles from wandering in, but Harry briefly wondered Why? Looking about, the there were no bodies except one huge, tarp-covered mound that must be the body of a giant yet to be removed, "Just how did this place we are going to survive?"
"It didn't, not by itself anyway." Tonks replied a bit nervously as she walked though the alley, "it was under the umbrella of the defenses of Gringott's. From what Sean said, he was here with Bones' forces, the Giants just bounced of when they got within a hundred yards of Gringott's, the restaurant was close enough to be covered."
As they reached Xander's a line was queued up outside. A ten-year old girl, in jeans and a t-shirt yelled over, "LOOK MUM, ITS HARRY POTTER." Hermione felt Harry flinch as he squeezed her hand tighter. But he knelt down as the girl approached anyway, a smile on his face. But to his surprise the girl did not ask him for anything, she just jumped up and gave him a hug... "Thank you Mr. Potter."
Harry looked stunned as the little girl hugged Hermione and Ron as well as the girl's mother caught up, "Yes thank you, all of you, her sister was at Hogwarts, I'm a muggle-born and she and her sister are just a year apart, and according to the papers the Chamber would have killed us all, thank you, and my other daughter says that what you taught her saved her and her friends." The woman replied sincerely and Harry noticed idly that not only the girl but also the mother was dressed as a muggle. Interesting as the last time he had been to this place it would have been highly unusual to see anyone over the age of seventeen not in robes, or in clothes newer than 1940s fashions.
"Ma'am what's your name?" Hermione asked gently as Tonks, Lupin and Sirius edged away to give them a bit of privacy and to keep away gawkers, and a couple of Daily Prophet reporters that had appeared from out of nowhere.
The woman looked shocked at her lack of propriety, "Ohh forgive me, my name is Elisha Pierce and this is my daughter Elizabeth. Madeline is a first year, or second, now I guess, Gryffindor."
Harry smiled at her, and chuckled softly, "Oh I know of her, she is was in my first year DADA class, and next to Hermione, she was about the smartest student I've seen in a bit."
"Yes, and she said that the stunner that you taught them in class, let her and her friends get away from a bunch of Death Eaters, they never expected first years to be able to defend themselves. Thank you." And in another shock, the woman hugged Harry and with a parting wave headed back towards the restaurant, where a couple of older wizards let her back in her place in line.
Hermione turned to look at him after they had left, "I guess we do good sometimes." She said pensively.
"Yeah I guess." Harry whispered back.
**************************Hogwarts Infirmary**************************
"Can I help you, Miss Weasley?" Madame Pomfrey asked as Ginny came into the infirmary. The infirmary was empty of the patients that had populated the ward, all of whom had either been healed or transferred to St. Mungo's. The medi-witch was in the process of doing an inventory, counting potions and assorted equipment in preparation of restocking the place after the terrible demands of last Friday and Saturday. As well provided as her miniature hospital was and as skilled as she was, the deaths of too many students and adults and another hundred or so through this infirmary with various degrees of injuries, had taxed her immensely.
Ginny looked nervous, and slightly pale as she walked in and sat down in a chair near her brother's old bed. "I'm not sure. I've been sick for the last couple of days, can you give me something?"
Pomfrey gave Ginny a calculating look, "Let me look you over first, Miss Weasley."
"Can't you just give me something?"
"Now, now, you know I can't very well just give you something, witches and wizards with your powers, while not at the level of Potter or Dumbledore, are substantial, much greater than your mother for example." Poppy prevaricated slightly. Ginny frowned but nodded in the end. Madame Pomfrey led her behind a curtain. Laying her down on a bed, she cast a spell and a yellow beam shot out from the end of her wand. The beam fanned out and scanned from Ginny's head to her toes and back up again before snapping off. She placed the tip of her wand to a blank piece of parchment on a clipboard.
Characters filled in on the paper: Ginny's full name, age, gender and other vital information on top. A small inset picture appeared with her name. Poppy read the results and only long experience kept her from uttering a sound. "Ok Ginny all done; come with me I'll fix you up." She led the girl back to her office, and waved her to a seat, before crossing to sit behind her desk. A flick of her wand closed the office door, "Miss Weasley...I mean Ginny, you are not sick, not precisely anyway." Poppy smiled slightly at the girl, "You're pregnant."
Ginny looked stricken, but somewhere inside she knew Poppy was right, she nodded silently as the healer continued. "Normally as you are underage, I should tell your parents." She paused and sighed, "but you are more an adult than the majority of wizards out there now, it will be up to you, I doubt Albus will fire me should it get out." Pomfrey reached across the desk and grabbed one of Ginny's trembling hands, "do you know who the father is child; I can perform a pater..."
"NO" Ginny snapped, "I know," she replied a bit more calmly.
"I am sorry Ginny, I didn't mean to imply, I just, I am sorry to say have been at this school for many years, and I have seen a few..." Poppy apologized softly, Ginny just nodded, "Ginny I know that you still have one more year here, you do not have to tell anyone yet, but there are special quarters for mothers and mothers to be, they have not been used in ten years, but..."
"What about professor's quarters." Ginny interrupted softly, at Poppy's shocked look, "Madame Pomfrey, you will take what I say in confidence right?"
"I think that you and Harry and the rest have earned the right to call me by my first name,
And yes I will keep what we discuss confidential unless you mean to hurt yourself or others."
"No, I won't, though what mum will do...Its Neville, Poppy, we're engaged. we weren't planning on moving up the wedding, but I know that Neville will want to, now." Ginny replied thoughtfully.
A/N: Two chapters in as many days....wow. Did you all pay attention, there something that one of the characters
mentioned that will become important in b3 and its not Ginny's sudden discovery. And actually it was shown
earlier...distraction is key.